Scottish Executive

Audiology

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address any national shortage of audiologists in the NHS.

Mr Tom McCabe: We are currently considering ways of ensuring a supply of suitably trained staff in Scotland, including undergraduate and diploma courses in audiology.

Care of Elderly People

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1537 by Mr Tom McCabe on 12 August 2003, whether any local authorities are not adhering to its guidance circular CCD 4/2002, Free Personal and Nursing Care in Scotland , by not offering individual care and nursing home residents the choice of contracting directly with the local authority under route 3 and, if so, what action it is taking to ensure full adherence by local authorities to these guidelines.

Mr Tom McCabe: If the member has evidence of any specific instances of the sort he refers to perhaps he would write to me with the information. The Scottish Executive guidance is clear that we expect local authorities to make the full range of information available to individuals about the options open to them in relation to care homes.

  Circulars CCD4/2002, Free Personal and Nursing Care in Scotland and CCD5/2002, Free Personal and Nursing Care Route 2 Contract Guidance were consolidated for ease of reference and issued on 29 July as CCD/5 2003, Free Personal and Nursing Care Consolidated Guidance. This guidance will be kept under review.

Cycling

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that all cyclists are required to wear protective headgear.

Nicol Stephen: Any statutory requirement for cyclists to wear protective headgear is a matter for the consideration of the UK Government.

  The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of key road safety education initiatives and publicity messages. The campaign strongly encourages the use of protective headgear through the Scottish Cycle Training Scheme and other promotional materials.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34338 by Ross Finnie on 7 March 2003, what steps it has taken to support the continued existence of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit.

Ross Finnie: The Sea Fish Industry Authority has operational responsibility for the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit. We understand that the Seafish Board will meet on 24 September to consider further the future of the unit. The Executive and the Enterprise Network stand ready to assist any prospective operator from within existing grant assistance schemes subject to standing eligibility criteria being met.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from any potential new owner of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit for assistance; if so, on what date any such request was first made, when it responded, and what its response was.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has maintained contact with the principals during the on-going negotiations over recent weeks, in the course of which the possibility of financial assistance being provided by the Executive to prospective new owners was discussed. I informed the parties on 16 August that the Executive did not see a case for providing direct financial support.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to safeguard jobs at the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit; what assistance it will provide to safeguard these jobs, and whether it will make an announcement on the future of the unit before the end of August 2003.

Ross Finnie: The Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit is currently an asset of the Seafish Industry Authority. Any announcement on its present or future operation is a matter for the Seafish Board.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding research under its strategic framework for aquaculture and when such research will be commissioned through the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has been in discussion with a range of stakeholders about the establishment of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). SARF held its first meeting on 2 September where the group considered administrative arrangements, membership, budget and possible research topics which flow from the Strategic Framework for Aquaculture.

General Practitioners

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet representatives of rural GPs to discuss issues of concern about the roll-out of the new GP contract.

Malcolm Chisholm: As is the case for all groups with an interest in the new General Medical Services contract, the Executive is involving a wide range of staff from across the service, including those with a remote and rural interest, in discussing implementation.

  As part of the implementation process, we have set up a national reference group and eight working groups to look at the key issues arising. Membership of these groups include those with a specific remote and rural interest. We are also committed to discussing with the Remote Practitioner Association of Scotland the contractual options available under the new contract for current inducement practitioners.

  The Remote And Rural Areas Resource Initiative (RARARI) have been specifically commissioned to look at the salaried contract options available, particularly for remote and rural GPs. Officials have also now visited all NHS board areas to discuss the new contract.

Hallmarking

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government in support of the retention of Scottish hallmarking.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues.

Hallmarking

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the proposed European directive on hallmarking will have on Scotland's image and economy.

Mr Jim Wallace: A Regulatory Impact Assessment will be carried out by the Department of Trade and Industry for this reserved matter.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) from contaminated blood products; what steps have been taken to eliminate the risk of CMV infection through such products; when the virus was first identified in Scotland, and how many patients were infected through contaminated products after that date.

Malcolm Chisholm: Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which is carried in the white blood cells, is very common in most communities and is transmitted by airborne spread. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service has advised that the majority of patients who have evidence of CMV have not received transfusions and most will have had no symptoms. It is not possible to say how many people will have been infected as a result of blood transfusion.

  The CMV virus was described more than 30 years ago and will have been identified in Scotland soon after this. Details are not readily available of precisely when CMV was first isolated in Scotland.

  It has been standard practice in the UK for many years to provide CMV antibody negative blood for patients who are more likely than healthy individuals to become ill if they are exposed to CMV. The introduction in 1998 of leucodepletion (removal of white cells) from all blood donations has reduced the risk of CMV transmission from blood to a very low level.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the time limitations for seeking redress in cases of medical negligence.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is already legislation in place to allow the courts to permit actions to proceed, albeit time-barred.

  The time limitations for seeking redress in cases of medical negligence are regulated by the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973. Actions arising out of personal injury should be raised within three years of the date of the alleged wrongdoing resulting in the personal injury or within three years of the date upon which the claimant became aware of the injury being due to negligence.

  The 1973 act was amended by the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1985 to enable a claimant to seek to persuade the court to exercise a discretionary power to allow the action to proceed outwith the time bar.

  This, however, is a matter for the court’s discretion and there are numerous cases where the courts have, whilst considering fairness to both potential claimants and defenders, decided both in favour of and against waiving the time-bar.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the NHS was of male impotence drugs in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives the number of prescribed items and gross ingredient cost for the financial years ending 31 March 2001, 2002 and 2003. Data in the table refer to prescriptions dispensed in the community but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital-based clinics.

  The total cost is calculated from the sum of the gross ingredient cost of the drugs plus the dispensing fee paid to the pharmacy, minus any prescription charges paid by the patient at the point of dispensing.

  Information is not available on the number or cost of prescription charges paid using pre-payment certificates. Discounts paid to the pharmacies by the drug suppliers depend on the individual pharmacy; as these are not readily available they have been excluded from the table.

  


Year Ending 31 March 
  

Number of Prescribed Items 
  

Gross Ingredient Cost
(£) 
  

Pharmacy Dispensing Fees
(£) 
  

Patient Charges
(£) 
  

Total Cost
(£) 
  



2001 
  

68,429 
  

2,578,583 
  

64,665 
  

52,974 
  

2,590,274 
  



2002 
  

89,673 
  

3,326,032 
  

84,831 
  

69,943 
  

3,340,920 
  



2003 
  

108,830 
  

4,106,833 
  

103,345 
  

81,183 
  

4,128,995

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has commissioned to evaluate the (a) clinical and (b) cost effectiveness of providing phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors on the NHS for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and what the outcome of such work was.

Malcolm Chisholm: No work has been commissioned by the Executive to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of providing phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors on the NHS for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will broaden access to treatments for erectile dysfunction on the NHS and, if so, to which patient groups.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans to broaden access to treatments for erectile dysfunction on the NHS.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet local health councils to discuss setting up the new Scottish Health Council as an independent organisation working with, but external to, the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: I am meeting the Convener of the Scottish Association of Health Councils to discuss future public involvement structures and the new Scottish Health Council on 12 September and addressing the association's annual conference on 26 September.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many financial institutions have invested in Glasgow Housing Association Ltd since the completion of the Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  A funding consortium of six financial institutions has agreed to provide funding to Glasgow Housing Association Ltd. Glasgow Housing Association Ltd plans to start drawing down money from the funding consortium next year (April 2004 to March 2005).

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 70,000 houses to be transferred to community ownership, referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, will be transferred in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 and how many will be (i) whole and (ii) partial stock transfers.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: This will depend on the timing of local authorities' decisions on transfers.

Interception of Communications Commissioner

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the annual report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner will be laid before the Parliament.

Cathy Jamieson: A copy of the Interception of Communication Commissioner’s annual report for 2002 has been laid before Parliament today in accordance with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. With the agreement of the Prime Minister, the confidential annex to the report, which contains sensitive information, has been excluded from the published report. Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29093).

  Interception of communications is one of the ways in which the police and other law enforcement agencies prevent and detect serious and organised crime in Scotland. The commissioner’s report makes it clear that warrants authorised by the Scottish ministers are only issued where their use is absolutely necessary and proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by the interception.

Judicial Appointments

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training it offers to (a) lay and (b) legal members of the Judicial Appointments Board.

Cathy Jamieson: The Judicial Appointments Board is independent of ministers and is responsible for the training of its own membership. During its first year of operation the board has taken a number of steps to develop its role in the selection of suitable individuals for service on the bench.

Judicial Appointments

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1360 by Hugh Henry on 29 July 2003, who conducted the interviews for membership of the Judicial Appointments Board and how the interview panel was selected.

Cathy Jamieson: The process was carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Interviews were conducted by the Rt Hon Lord Ross (the former Lord Justice Clerk), Mr Alastair Dempster (former Chief Executive of TSB Scotland and a member of the Panel of Independent Assessors) and Mr J D Gallagher, Head of the Scottish Executive Justice Department. Lord Ross and Mr Dempster were selected to bring expertise and independence to the appointment process.

Judicial Appointments

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1360 by Hugh Henry on 29 July 2003, whether incumbent members of the Judicial Appointments Board will be involved in future interviews for membership of the board.

Cathy Jamieson: The current members of the Judicial Appointments Board have all been appointed until mid-2005. Decisions on replacing them will not be taken until late in 2004. I have no plans to invite board members to play a part in choosing their successors.

Judicial Appointments

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1360 by Hugh Henry on 29 July 2003, how many nominations were made by the (a) Lord President for a High Court judge and (b) Convener of the Sheriffs principal group for the Sheriff Principal to sit on the Judicial Appointment Boards.

Cathy Jamieson: The Lord President nominated one judge from the group of 10 Inner House Judges. The convener of the Sheriffs Principal nominated one Sheriff Principal from the group of six.

Learning Disabilities

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults with learning difficulties live in the family home in each local authority area.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally.

Medical Records

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) national and (b) individual NHS board policies exist on the retention of medical data including test results and associated records.

Malcolm Chisholm: National guidance on retention and destruction of medical records is set out in NHS MEL(1993)152 which can be found at www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/mels/1993_152.htm. Individual NHS boards follow the guidance set out in that circular. We are in the process of reviewing guidance on the retention and destruction of medical records and revised guidance will issue in due course.

Medical Research

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of medical research it currently funds, other than those areas funded through the £47 million allocated to the Office of the Chief Scientist, and how much each such research area receives.

Malcolm Chisholm: Research areas which are funded by the Scottish Executive and considered to meet the broad definition of medical research, can be detailed as follows:

  National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Surveillance Unit

  Research to support a number of objectives including to identify prospectively all cases of CJD occurring in the UK, to document and investigate all cases of new variant CJD in order to identify trends in the number of cases, and to collaborate with other research projects in the UK and elsewhere. The Executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £229,000.

  Small Area Health Statistics Unit

  A UK body which investigates the incidence of disease in the vicinity of possible sources of environmental pollution. The executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £68,000.

  Study of Risk Factors for Adult Brain Tumours

  This independent UK study is collaborating in an international case control study of adult brain tumours and the use of mobile phones, co-ordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. The executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £25,000.

  Childhood Cancer Research Group (CCRG)

  Monitors the incidence and distribution of childhood cancers. One of the main benefits of finding of CCRG is in having access to the National Registry of Childhood Tumours which is the largest population based childhood cancer registry in the world and includes detailed records of approximately 70,000 children with cancer. Much of CCRG’s epidemiological work arises directly from concerns about possible environmental hazards or medical procedures e.g. nuclear energy, vaccine safety. The Executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £45,000.

  Dental Health Needs Assessment: Scottish Prison Service

  To provide accurate and up-to-date information on the dental health needs or the Scottish prison population to plan appropriate and effective oral health services in prisons across Scotland. The Executive’s contribution in 2001-02 was £20,000.

  A Scottish survey of primary care dental practitioners’ training and education needs in managing the patient with dental anxiety

  Aim of this survey to determine the views and experiences of qualified dentists and their current use of a range of anxiety management techniques, and to determine the scope of undergraduate and post-graduate training and practitioners’ desire for future training. The Executive’s contribution in 2001-02 was £15,000.

  Adult Oral Health Feasibility Study

  Project to provide an improved understanding of the potential role of general assist in future decision making on the most appropriate approach to oral cancer screening and the gathering of adult epidemiological data in Scotland. The Executive’s contribution in 2003-04 is £26,000.

Medical Students

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the number of medical students studying in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The allocation of places to subject areas is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). Ministers are precluded by legislation from directing funds or places to particular courses or institutions.

  Professor Sir Kenneth Calman is currently leading a review of aspects underpinning undergraduate medical education in Scotland. He has been given a broad and challenging remit, which includes consideration of access to medical education in Scotland, the number of student places and the contribution of basic medical education to the support and development of the NHS in Scotland. Sir Kenneth is expected to report later this year, after which Scottish ministers will consider his proposals.

Ministerial Visits

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister, or Deputy Minister, for Environment and Rural Development have visited the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ross Finnie: No ministerial visits have been made in the recent past.

Pharmacists

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the availability of prescribing courses for registered pharmacists.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Education for Scotland has commissioned the two Scottish Schools of Pharmacy to develop a training course for pharmacists to train as supplementary prescribers. The first cohort of 40 registered pharmacists began training in August 2003 at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. A further course for supplementary prescribers is currently being developed by the other School of Pharmacy at the University of Strathclyde with a first intake of pharmacists planned for early 2004.

  Both Schools of Pharmacy will offer their accredited courses for supplementary prescribers with up to two or more intakes each year.

Planning

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning appeals it heard from 1 January 1999 to 30 June 2003 and how many such appeals were successful.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: During the period 1 January 1999 to 30 June 2003, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit handled 4,570 planning appeals. Planning appeals are considered using a Public Local Inquiry, a Hearing or the Written Submissions procedure. The following table gives details of the method of determination used and the success rates.

  

 

Number of Planning Appeals 
  

Number Successful 
  



Written Submissions 
  

4,157 
  

1,298 
  



Public Local Inquiry or Hearing 
  

413 
  

147 
  



Total 
  

4,570 
  

1,445

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-34453 and S2W-50 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 February and Cathy Jamieson on 5 June 2003 respectively, what the quarterly baseline total, as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule F of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock , was in the first quarter of the performance year 2003-04.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table includes some figures which have been corrected since publication of the answer to question S1W-34453 on 13 March 2003. Previous figures are shown in brackets.

  


Performance Year 
  

Performance Quarter 
  

Baseline 
  



Year 1 
  

1 
  

408 
  



2 
  

685 
  



3 
  

685 
  



4 
  

685 
  



Year 2 
  

1 
  

651 
  



2 
  

693 (675) 
  



3 
  

713 (697) 
  



4 
  

713 (690) 
  



Year 3 
  

1 
  

678 (664) 
  



2 
  

678 (656) 
  



3 
  

678 (659) 
  



4 
  

678 (700) 
  



Year 4 
  

1 
  

644 (636) 
  



2 
  

644 (629) 
  



3 
  

644 (629) 
  



4 
  

676 
  



Year 5 
  

1 
  

665

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-31154 and S1W-33899 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002 and 18 February 2003 respectively, what performance-related revenue deductions were incurred under the contract to operate HM Prison Kilmarnock by the prison’s operator in the quarters January to March and April to June 2003.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This table includes some figures which have been corrected since publication of the answer to question S1W-34453 on 13 March 2003. Previous figures are shown in brackets.

  


Year 
  

Quarter 
  

£000
(as at 21/8/03) 
  



1 
  

1 
  

105 
  



2 
  

176 
  



3 
  

174 
  



4 
  

- 
  



2 
  

1 
  

- 
  



2 
  

- 
  



3 
  

- 
  



4 
  

- 
  



3 
  

1 
  

56 (60) 
  



2 
  

31 (32) 
  



3 
  

21 (27) 
  



4 
  

125 (88) 
  



4 
  

1 
  

161  
  



2 
  

160 (131) 
  



3 
  

159 
  



4 
  

160 
  



5 
  

1 
  

100

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the last four annual reports of the Scottish Prison Service have been published during a parliamentary recess and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Cathy Jamieson: It has been long standing government policy that agency annual reports and accounts should be published as soon as possible after the end of the year to which they relate, following completion of the audit of the accounts. Since the establishment of the agency on 1 April 1993, the publication of the annual report and accounts has been in July in every year but one, 2000-01, when, due to a delay in the completion of the Audit Scotland opinion on the accounts, publication was in December.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of the performance targets of the Scottish Prison Service for each prison in each year since 1999-2000.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not available in the form requested. Key performance indicators are set for the Scottish Prison Service as a whole and all parts of the business contribute towards achieving them. SPS is currently in the process of considering how best to prepare and publish more disaggregated performance information.

Public Private Partnerships

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by each local authority on public private partnership bids, including preparatory work, in each year since 1999, detailing whether the projects were progressed.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information relating to how much has been spent by each local authority on public private partnerships (PPP) bids is a matter for local authorities. This information is not held centrally.

  Information on the current status of PPP projects, including local authorities, can be found on the project list on the Financial Partnerships Unit’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk/fpu.

Public Private Partnerships

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to local authorities about public private partnership projects where only one company has bid for a particular project.

Mr Andy Kerr: The reasons and circumstances relating to a project where there has only been one bid are specific to that project and any advice given by the Executive must take account of this and is commercially confidential. It is the responsibility of the local authority concerned to demonstrate value for money in a single bid situation. The Financial Partnerships Unit is actively involved in project boards and is monitoring the situation.

Public Sector Staff

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs within the Scottish Executive, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have been relocated since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Tavish Scott: Since 1999, around 650 public sector posts have been relocated. The following table details the bodies concerned and the number of jobs broken down by parliamentary constituency.

  


Education, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department 
  

Glasgow Kelvin 
  

160 
  



Food Standards Agency 
  

Aberdeen Central 
  

45 
  



Public Guardian's Office 
  

Falkirk West 
  

40 
  



Scottish Social Services Council and Scottish Commission 
  for the Regulation of Care 
  

Dundee West 
  

160 
  



Scottish Public Pensions Agency 
  

Tweeddale Ettrick and Lauderdale 
  

175 
  



Scottish Water HQ 
  

Dunfermline West 
  

50+ 
  



Forest Enterprise (Scotland) 
  

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber 
  

2 
  



  Relocation announcements in respect of Scottish Natural Heritage, the Common Services Agency, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters' Unit have also been made but accommodation arrangements have yet to be finalised in the case of these bodies.

Recycling

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15862 by Angus Mackay on 5 June 2001, how much of its material was sent for recycling in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02 and what future targets for recycling its material it has set.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is making good progress in the proportion of office waste it sends for recycling.

  We have a target to reduce the amount of office waste going to landfill by recycling 60% of total waste produced by March 2004. We are currently recycling 58% of our waste compared to 44% in 2001-02 and 40% in 2000-01. This has been achieved through enhanced waste segregation. Other methods such as reuse of furniture and IT equipment and recycling of mobile phones also helps to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill.

  In 2000-01 the Executive moved from recording bags of waste to tonnage and we have discovered an error in the figures. The figure quoted for the proportion of waste recycled in that year remains largely unaffected, indeed, at 40% it is marginally better than the figure of 38% then indicated. The corrected tonnage for 2000-01 is:

  Recycled Waste in the Main Scottish Executive Buildings

  

 

2000-01
Tonnes 
  

2001-02
Tonnes 
  



Paper 
  

299.820 
  

445.75 
  



Aluminium Cans 
  

0.72 
  

0.95 
  



Plastic Cups 
  

2.832 * 
  

Nil 
  



Waste Metal from Office Furniture 
  

17.61 
  

Figures N/A 
  



Cooking Oil 
  

0.498 * 
  

4.165 
  



Toner Cartridges 
  

1.568 * 
  

2.168 * 
  



Fluorescent Tubes 
  

1.58 
  

17.55 
  



  Note:

  *Victoria Quay only.

Recycling

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual tonnage of waste diverted from landfill by community recycling groups was in each of the last two years and who was responsible for calculating this figure.

Ross Finnie: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Executive provides funding to the Community Recycling Network Scotland (CRNS) which is currently carrying out an exercise to identify the contribution that the community sector is making to divert waste from landfill.

Recycling

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor the involvement of the community recycling sector in the implementation of Area Waste Plans.

Ross Finnie: We have asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to monitor the involvement of the community recycling sector in the implementation of Area Waste Plans.

Recycling

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation on household waste recycling, similar to the Household Waste Recycling Bill in England and Wales.

Ross Finnie: The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, Part 6, includes a duty on local authorities to prepare Integrated Waste Management Plans. These plans will set out performance targets which the local authority shall, in performing its waste management functions, endeavour to meet.

  The Executive will ensure that these plans include measures to achieve national targets as outlined in A Partnership for A Better Scotland, including that for local authorities to recycle or compost 25% of waste by 2006 and 55% by 2020 through increasing the use of doorstep collection and through provision of recycling facilities in every community.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the construction of the new Parliament building is subject to any (a) planning and (b) building regulations and, if not, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body still intends to comply with such regulations.

Mr George Reid: The new Parliament building is a Crown building and exempt from the normal planning controls; however, a decision was taken at the outset of the project to comply with all relevant statutory and City of Edinburgh Council planning guidelines and building regulations. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group assures me that the Holyrood Project Team will continue to implement that policy during the remaining stages of the project.

Holyrood Project

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer how much it cost the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to produce and show the film of Sir Sean Connery’s visit to the new Scottish Parliament building site and on whose authority funding was provided to produce and show the film.

Mr Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): Sir Sean Connery’s visit to the Holyrood Parliament building on Thursday, 28 August was filmed by the Parliament’s Broadcasting Unit under the authority of the Parliament’s Head of Broadcasting in consultation with the Parliament’s Head of Media. The pictures generated were made available to the broadcast media and these pictures were subsequently used in news features on the BBC Reporting Scotland Scotland, BBC Breakfast News (UK Network), and, STV’s Scotland Today. Whilst extensive use of the footage was made by these broadcast outlets, time restraints meant not all of the footage provided was used.

  In order to allow parliamentary staff and MSPs the opportunity to see Sir Sean Connery’s visit in full, and with it see progress on the site to date, a short film was made by the Parliament’s Broadcasting Office, using almost all of the footage provided to the media.

  This film was made in less than three hours by a single member of the Broadcasting Office’s staff, within the pattern of a normal working week, and using existing in-house parliamentary equipment. The film was made on the authority of the Parliament’s Head of Broadcasting, and no costs were incurred, over and above the normal running costs of the Broadcasting Office.

  The broadcast of the film on the Parliament’s new Information Channel on Thursday 4 September was authorised by the Information Channel’s Pilot Project Group.